The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1473191
[ L I N E B A C K E R S ] 100 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2022 FOOTBALL PREVIEW PLAYER BIOS POSITION COACH George Helow is entering his second season mentoring inside linebackers in Ann Arbor. The 2021 campaign was a suc- cessful one for his group, with Josh Ross leading the team in tackles (106) and Junior Colson (fourth, 61) and Nikhai Hill-Green (sixth, 50) also ranking in the top six on the squad in the category. A team captain, Ross picked up third-team All-Big Ten honors after setting career highs in tackles and stops for loss (9). Colson earned Freshman All- America honors. Before joining the U-M staff, Helow served as Maryland's special teams coordinator/inside line- backers coach during the 2020 season. He has been a part of successful programs throughout his career, including national championship squads at Ala- bama (2012) and Florida State (2013). Prior to working at Maryland, Helow spent four seasons at Colorado State (2016-19). There, he coached the safeties during his final two seasons after working with the outside linebackers as a de- fensive quality control coach and graduate assistant during his first two campaigns. Helow guided a Rams secondary that allowed just 181.6 yards per game in 2019, which checked in as the seventh-best mark in the country and topped the Mountain West Conference. In Helow's first season (2018) overseeing the safe- ties, three of the defensive backs ranked among the top five in tackles on the team. Helow spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons at Geor- gia, serving as a graduate assistant and working with the safeties while earning his master's degree, after serving as a defensive graduate assistant for Florida State's national championship team in 2013. He got his coaching start at Alabama, where he was an intern in the weight room during the spring and summer before working as a defensive intern for coordinator Kirby Smart during the fall of 2012. The Crimson Tide allowed just 10.9 points per game during the year and beat Notre Dame in the BCS national title game. A walk-on at Ole Miss from 2006-10, Helow saw success on special teams as a collegiate player in the SEC. He played in all 38 games during his final three seasons, led the Rebels in special teams tackles during the 2010 campaign and was nomi- nated for the Burlsworth Trophy, an award handed out annually to the nation's most outstanding college football player who began their career as a walk-on. RETURNING PLAYERS MICHAEL BARRETT • LB Gr. • Valdosta, Ga. Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 227 • Appeared in all 14 games on special teams and 11 at linebacker with one start in 2021. Notched 20 tackles, 1.5 stops for loss, 1 sack, 1 pass breakup and 1 quarterback hurry. • Started all six games during the 2020 campaign, and re- corded 44 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 quarterback hurry and 1 forced fumble. • Appeared in 12 games and made 7 tackles dur- ing the 2019 season, seeing snaps on defense in two contests while also being a major contribu- tor on special teams. • Completed a 25-yard first-down pass to Daxton Hill on a fake punt that led to a touchdown drive against Army in 2019. • Saw snaps in two games as a freshman, primar- ily on special teams. • Was a dual-threat quarterback in his prep ca- reer, totaling more than 2,500 yards and 38 scores on the ground, while also throwing for more than 4,000 yards and 43 touchdowns in his last two seasons. • Named to the Class 7A All-State first team and tabbed the 7A Offensive Player of the Year as a senior by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. • Regarded by the On3 Consensus as a three-star talent and the No. 71 player in Georgia. Year GP/GS Tkls. TFL Sacks INT 2018 2/0 0 0 0 0 2019 12/0 7 0 0 0 2020 6/6 44 2 1 0 2021 14/1 20 1.5 1 0 Totals 34/7 71 3.5 2 0 JUNIOR COLSON • LB So. • Brentwood, Tenn. Ht.: 6-2 • Wt.: 225 • Registered 61 tackles, the fourth-most on the team, a half-sack, 2 pass breakups, 3 quarterback hurries and 1 fumble recovery during his freshman campaign in 2021. Played in all 14 contests and started seven of the last eight games. • Tabbed as a Freshman All-American by On3, the Maxwell Football Club and the Football Writers Association of America. • Named a semifinalist for the 2020 Butkus Award, handed out to the nation's top high Graduate Michael Barrett appeared in 11 games at linebacker with one start in 2021 while also contributing on special teams. He finished the season with 20 tackles, 1.5 stops for loss, 1 sack, 1 pass breakup and 1 quarterback hurry. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL